Top Secret eBay Tips for eBidders

Dear eBidder

I have been asked to provide tips to the users of eBay – the virtual auction – but I have to say upfront it’s not one that eBay will approve of necessarily. Now don’t get me wrong - eBay is a fantastic idea and provides a great service for millions of ordinary people around the world and has to be the success story of the decade. No one will argue though that it represents a licence to print money – while at the same time being the world’s largest recycling dump. On all points - good on ‘em – wished I’d thought of it!

Yet haven’t you ever wondered why eBay fails to provide easy access to historical buying patterns - for research purposes by the worldwide audience of buyers and sellers? A system where you could type in two words say, brass kettle, and receive a list showing pictures of tens of thousands of brass kettles that have been auctioned off ever since eBay started. With really useful information like, what condition the kettles were in, how much they fetched, postal charges, to whom it was sold and who sold it – and how many bids it fetched?  Well, it's not that eBay couldn't supply that kind of information (eBay can do anything) but they would consider this a commercial secret, of advantage to eBay’s competitors (if there were any that is). Also, have you ever wondered how many eBay auctions fail to make even a single bid - despite being featured in lots of auctions at different times? Because frankly, if we knew these true figures ten of millions of potential sellers would no doubt drop out of eBay auctions. They designed a truly brilliant system with lots of self-enforcing rules, which works very well for them. But this achieved also by keeping us in ignorance and out of the information loop – the kind of information that really makes the difference between success and failure when using a concept like eBay.

Having said that, ordinary auction houses don't provide that kind of data either but they at least have an excuse; as it’s an impossible task for one single auction house to know what happens in all the other auctions in the world. But eBay does cover the world, and that truly massive databank is available right now - via their mind-boggling servers with their awesome memory storage but - okay, that’s their policy and we are stuck with it. Yet I cannot wait for the day when some nerd genius starts an alternative service offering exactly such useful info – because it’s a no-brainer everyone will go to that website first - to check out the world-wide buying and selling patterns and prices – the ones eBay are failing to supply at this time.

So, is it possible to for us ordinary Joe’s to beat eBay at this virtual auction game? The answer’s no and that's the truth of it. The only people you can beat are the other buyers - and sellers. Don't bother to take on eBay (they’ve already rigged the game remember) but instead exploit eBay's strengths by harnessing them to your strengths – only then  can you compete with, and beat, ALL other buyers and ALL the sellers as well. So how does one get an edge over ALL the others? 

It’s natural that everyone wants to win items on eBay – yet always on their own terms – in other words each of us want to pay as little as possible for that desired item. So let’s get started. The two most important things about beating others on eBay are obviously to be in at the START - but less obviously - you also have to be in at the FINISH.  There's no great shakes about making a very low bid (just to get the auction started) and luckily winning something if there were no other bidders involved. This is pure chance, lady luck and like rolling dice. But if you really wanted to win that item without gambling (and for some real good common-sense reason) AND wanted it the cheapest possible price then you should follow my methods. If not, then somebody who knows the Secrets of Successful Bidding will most likely pip you at the post - right at the very last rotten second. How do they do this?

The secret that amateur bidders already actually know – but completely fail to appreciate - is that eBay is NOT a real auction - it is a virtual auction. In other words; there are no real people hanging around in a dusty old room with a very tense atmosphere and everyone expectant and looking around like scared rabbits, trying to sense the other person's motives and weaknesses! Deep down all bidders in an auction room are afraid of losing - but more often than admitted they are scared of winning (by paying too much) or losing face in front of others. The tension is such that they can't even think straight. One can easily lose two kilos of fat going to a live auction believe me!  AND that’s without a blasted clock ticking away in the background.

Think about it. Real auctioneers don't have a big clock stealing each second like a ticking time bomb in a movie thriller. They are gentlemanly affairs that allow anyone to bid at anytime that person is ready to bid. And the only time a real live auction finishes is when the bids start to slow down and then cease altogether. THAT'S when the hammer comes down, as in: going, Going, GONE!

The eBay auction is so very different – don’t you see? And it’s that crazy clock that makes the difference. But it’s also the reason why bidding on eBay is ten times better (for the knowledgeable eBidder) than going to a real live auction. The fact is; a virtual auction can be ‘rigged’ by anyone once they have read this review.

No one can rig a live auction because the auctioneer’s rules (and the law) won't allow it. But you can 'rig' a virtual auction because the auctioneers (eBay in this case) allow you to work within their own strict rules - not the traditional auctioneer's rules. In a 'virtual auction’ those centuries-old rules simply don't apply. The silent ticking clocks at eBay's auctions make a mockery of the real auctioneer's modus operandi. One will allow us fairly ample time to make a bid – while the other cuts off one’s head faster than a guillotine! Maybe there is no such thing as a 'live tense atmosphere' when bidding in cyberspace – let’s face it - most bidders are in their bedroom or office – all alone. But that doesn’t mean they can’t get into a panic – because they know those other bidders are ‘out there’ and  don’t know how much the desired item may be worth to them! You don’t know if those bidders possess stealth, nerves, cunning and awareness. In cyberspace it really is YOU against the rest of the world - and it’s only by using the above described instincts that will allow you to win. You have got to get up to speed with the tricks of cyber-bidding.

You are now about to try and ‘rig’ an eBay auction - by using the very rules and tools eBay provide to the public-at-large. To start, let's make some ground rules starting with the First Rule. Only bid on items you really want for a specific purpose. Don't bid on items that look good, sound cheap or just catch your eye – eBay bidding can become addictive – it can be a powerful aphrodisiac - don’t you know that yet? Yet, you wouldn't go walking down the High Street impulsively bidding on things left and right just because they looked good or sounded cheap - otherwise you'd run out of money before you reached the corner. So firstly, be very, very selective about what you want to own and why you want to own it. Careless, impulsive bidding just brings stacks of crap through your letterbox, which you’d never have bought in any High Street in ten lifetimes. Furthermore, you've now got another time-consuming task. Like how do I get rid of this crap without losing my shirt? How indeed! Just go back to eBay - knock it out cheap, wipe your mouth and move on - more experienced than before.

The Second Rule is, get in at the very start of an auction (if you're lucky enough) with a very low bid – because this at least puts you in the game. Third Rule; check the exact time when the auction ends and set your mobile phone to remind you that you have only 15-minutes left. As soon as your alarm goes off, get swiftly back to your console and use those fifteen minutes to concentrate like mad and see where the bidding  is – and look at the history of the bidding.  Fourth Rule: if there have only been a couple or three bidders, jump straight in with a MAXIMUM BID which is the highest price you think that item is worth - that is - what it is genuinely worth to YOU. A couple or three bidders in the frame mean perhaps one of them might be a serious bidder but that was BEFORE you returned online. Now they will ALL see you are back in the bidding BUT THEY DO NOT KNOW that you have slipped in your Maximum Bid. This is known as the Killer Bid because it systematically kills off all the weakest bidders.

Fifth Rule is never make your maximum bid a rounded number like £5 / £10 / £15 because that’s the kind of numbers the amateurs instinctively use – as they are easier to remember. As a power eBidder you will always bid £5.95 / £10.95 / £15.95 because those figures will on average tend to outbid the amateurs’ rounded bids (by 95p only). From now on, right until the end of the auction, every time they piddle around manually upping the ante with penny-pinching increments – your killer bid automatically and immediately outbids them. This lightening-speed rejection of their earnest (but amateur) bidding is very disconcerting to ordinary bidders and most of them soon drop out. Their bottle has gone, they haven't the stomach to face a power eBidder like you. It's not outbidding them that upset them - because each of your bids are only slightly more than their bids -it’s the breakneck speed with which you hit them! Just check the interval time between their bids. Slow bidders display that they are not cocksure or confident - they have to think too much about the expense they are getting involved in – and because of this most slow bidders quit first. But even if they don't drop out, they are now well and truly between a rock and a hard place – this is because of that clock which is now remorselessly ticking away. While they are sweating - you are as cool as a cucumber. Your MAXIMUM BID means that you need never sweat and never be up against that blasted clock ever again.

Furthermore, you will ALWAYS retain that psychological advantage over the other bidders – and it doesn't matter if they bid ten-seconds or even five-seconds before the clock runs out - they still cannot win - because you calmly 'rigged' the auction right at the start. Your strategy was not simply to match them bid-for-bid – but to make sure it wasn’t YOU who’d be panicked and tense-laden when the clock starts to run out. Your Maximum Bid will nearly always top their incremental bids and that's a mathematical imperative. It's cause and effect. You cause the problem - they feel the effect! You can ONLY win against other bidders by knocking them clean out of the auction at the earliest possible time. This tactic not only ensures you win but more importantly, the price you pay will ALWAYS be lower – perhaps much lower than if you had not entered the bidding.  By scaring other bidders away you in effect now have complete control over the final price to be paid for that item. Needless to say, you are also preventing the seller from getting a higher price. In this way you are beating both the buyers AND the sellers.

'Virtual auctions' are a mind game - where only the experienced players will win, time and again, against the vast majority of eBayers. Let's face it; these are just ordinary everyday people who get high playing about with 'virtual bidding’ on items they think looks good or sounds cheap. The vast majority of these people have never been to a real auction - but eBay allows even the shyest people onto their auction floor, people who, in a real auction house would tremble with fear every time they opened their mouths. Yet, even when they bid on eBay that fear is still present - where else can it go? Nowhere, believe me - it never goes away. Nobody can make a bid (even on a keyboard at three o'clock in the morning) without receiving some disconcerting ecstatic thrill of some kind or another. Their hairs still stand on end like live bidders. It's called human nature.

The truth is, as a power eBidder your challenge is not against the amateur bidders - your only concern should be the ticking clock. Believe me, there’s not even that many power eBidders out there to cause you undue concern. But by using my tactics you will have effectively ‘stopped’ that clock by inserting your Maximum Bid. And while the clock may have stopped for you – its NOT stopped for the other competing bidders. With them; that clock (and its dire implications the moment it stops) is very real – believe me.

If an amateur loses an item he says to himself  'Blast! The other guy outbid me!" or "I ran out of time - and I couldn't get another bid in'. Or, best of all: "I didn't really want it anyway"

This kind of thinking simply confirms the bidder's amateur status because a professional never uses those phrases or even thinks like that. A professional who loses an item has nothing but good clean thoughts for the other person who beat his bid. He doesn't take a failed bid to heart because he knows they haven't beaten HIM - they have only beaten that particular bid - and that's a far different thing. Whilst others win an odd battle here and there – the Power eBidder is winning (other battles) all over the place!

Furthermore, once a Power eBidder has placed his Maximum Bid he very rarely increases it - his first assessment of that item's value (to him) being nearly always the figure he stands by. Once Power eBidders start increasing their Maximum Bid they revert to being amateurs again - they are now gambling, trying to gain lost ground. They have abandoned the Power eBidder’s normally successful strategy and lost control over the final price they were willing to pay. By increasing their Maximum Bid they now are just guessing how much they will eventually pay; and are literally gambling with hard money against an outcome they cannot foretell. That's never a good position to be in and the professional Power eBidder knows it. In other words one can occasionally simply ‘allow’ another bidder to win. If they manage to beat a Power eBidder then they deserve to win surely? If you put in a further Maximum Bid (over and above the initial Maximum Bid) you are now hooked completely and worse still – you are playing completely into the se ller’s hands. Sellers just love to witness two determined bidders going head to head for obvious reasons – they get a much higher price than if only one bidder was involved. Remember; your strategy is to beat buyers AND sellers - at the same time.

If you time these tactics right - you can win virtually every item you want, as Maximum Bids tend to scare amateurs into quitting early in the game - when the fear of the unknown starts to set in. That fear is in their heads and is being caused of you - and you alone. It is YOU who has created it - not the other bidders. Maybe one amateur bidder could have handled other amateur bidders - but it was your power move that scared the hell out of him – and hopefully all the others too. But even if someone managed to overcome their fears and carried on making their time-consuming bids they still (on average) end up losing the item.  By using power bidding – most all eBayers can be seen off the 'cyber auction floor' mainly because they can pull out without losing 'face' – unlike in a real auction room. And that's why virtual bidders tend to quit earlier rather than later. Real bidders at a real auction house tend to quit later because of the embarrassment caused by everyone in the auction room staring at them and anticipating a great bidding war.  There is only one certain fact for you to remember: ALL BIDDERS ARE LOSERS - except one. But rarely will the Power eBidder be amongst those losers. And even when he does lose an item here and there, he simply goes onto the next virtual auction - which is only a click away - and repeats the whole process all over again. Even when he is on a losing run (by being up against another Power eBidder say) he just closes down the PC and goes to bed. There are plenty more auctions tomorrow.

The strategy is so very simple, but here it is again: by getting rid of amateur bidders early on – the field is wide open for you and you alone. No other bidders means the auction has effectively ended – all you have to do wait for the ticking clock to stop. Furthermore, once you have got the other bidders to quit early the seller can do nothing but watch his item go for a real knockdown price – to the Power eBidder - naturally. And that’s how you can legally ‘rig’ an eBay auction. Looked at this way – eBay should now be considered your best ally – not a faceless entity you once loved to hate.  Go for it – Happy eBidding.

But holld on. Why am I telling you all this? Well maybe you'll get intrigued enough to accidentally visit my website and book a really cheap villa holiday next year or better still, this year. (Sorry, but eBay will not allow me to give out my website URL even though I am writing a free review for them!)  So now you know; THAT’S exactly the reason why I'm giving you this bidding advice. My only hope is you'll use the secrets I gave you against OTHER bidders – not me!  But in reality, the chances of us meeting in a cyberspace auction are so remote its not even worth considering – and certainly not this week anyway - 'cos I'm off to the tropical island of Koh Samui located in the tranquil Sea of Siam - with OnlyInSamui.Com - wink wink nod nod.

Also I'm still naive enough to believe that if I give something away with a kind heart - then as often as not, I’ll get something back in return. But if not - then so what?  It was really great fun just writing this guide - and I hope you had as much fun reading it. Oh I almost forgot! My eBay alias is 'immunityblue' check it out – wink wink nod nod.

Happy eBidding. 

Derek Taylor